Book

Kerala Brahmins in transition: a study of a Namputiri family

Finnish Oriental SocietyHelsinkiPublished In 2000 • Pages: xii, 436

By: Parpola, Marjatta.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This discussion of change and continuity in the lives of Namputiri Brahman caste members draws on day-to-day and season-to-season accounts of behavior and religious roles in specific social situations, especially the organization of domestic space, gender-based division of labor, kinship and marital relations, the observation of dietary rules, bathing, dress, and adornment. The focus is on the significance of the contexts and behavioral adjustments for understanding the ways in which Brahman families sought to preserve their Vedic liturgies and rites in the face of a series of government policies designed to abolish the caste system.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Castes
Status, role, and prestige
Priesthood
Congregations
Sacred objects and places
Theological systems
Avoidance and taboo
Purification and atonement
Prayers and sacrifices
Inter-community relations
Ethnopsychology
Ethnosociology
Religious denominations
Religious intolerance and martyrs
Acculturation and culture contact
Education system
Transmission of beliefs
Gender status
Division of labor by gender
Normal garb
Special garments
Visual arts
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Kerala
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2017
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Asia
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
South Asia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Anthropologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Teferi Abate Adem ; 2016
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1983-1996
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1730-1999
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Panjal, Thrissur district, Kerala, India
NotesAdditional notes
by Marjatta Parpola
Includes bibliographical references (p. [393]-402) and index
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
2001372404
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Nambudiris--Social life and customs--20th century
Brahmans--India--Kerala--Social life and customs--20th century